½small onion or 1 shallotpeeled and very finely diced
¼tspsalt
½tspblack pepper
60g(1/2 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
1large egglightly whisked
150g(1 1/2 cups) fine golden breadcrumbs
120ml(1/2 cup) sunflower oil
To Serve:
Maldon salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to a low setting (around 120C/245F (fan)) and place a baking tray in there to warm up (this is to keep the first batch of potato cakes warm, while the second batch is cooking).
Place the mashed potato in a bowl with the cheese, onion, salt, and pepper.
750 g (3 1/4 cups) mashed potato, 225 g (2 1/4 cups) grated strong cheddar cheese, 1/2 small onion or 1 shallot, ¼ tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
Mix together until combined.
Place the flour in one bowl, the lightly whisked egg in a second bowl and the breadcrumbs in a third bowl.
60 g (1/2 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour, 1 large egg, 150 g (1 1/2 cups) fine golden breadcrumbs
Divide the mashed potato mixture into eight portions and shape each one into a ball.
Take one of the mashed potato balls, and flatten it into a thick (1.5cm) disc in your hands.
Dredge the potato disc in the flour, then the egg, and then coat in the breadcrumbs. Ensure the disc is fully coated with each dredge.
Place the potato cake on a plate and repeat until all of the potato cakes are coated.
Place the oil in a large frying pan and heat over a medium heat.
120 ml (1/2 cup) sunflower oil
When the oil is hot, add four of the potato cakes to the pan. Frying for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden and hot throughout.
Don’t have the heat up too high – we need the middle of the potato cake to cook through, without the outside burning.
Also, try not to move the potato cakes around in the pan, except when you’re turning them over. This helps to ensure they don’t break apart.
Place the cooked potato cakes on the warm baking tray, in the oven, to keep warm while you cook your second batch.
Once cooked, serve the potato cakes with a light sprinkling of Maldon salt.
Maldon salt
Notes
Note re: mash temperature:It's best to use room temperature mashed potato for this recipe.We don’t want the mashed potato to be too hot, as it won’t keep its shape and will be difficult to handle when dredging. We don’t want the mashed potato to be too cold, as it will take longer to fry the potato cakes in order to get them piping hot through the middle. This could cause the coating on the potato cakes to burn.Can I make them ahead?Yes, these can be made ahead up until just before you fry them. Just make the potato cakes up, cover and refrigerate for up to two days.Take them out of the fridge for an hour before you fry them - otherwise the interior will be too cold by the time the exterior is fully cooked. Shallow fry gently in oil until piping hot and golden brown.Ingredient swaps:Why not try adding crispy bacon to the mash or cooked salmon or tinned tuna fish to make cheesy fish cakesHow to scale up and scale down this recipe This can be doubled up so you can make lotsNutritional information is approximate, per potato cake(this is based on all of the breadcrumbs and oil being used up. You may find you use a little less oil and breadcrumbs).